Izam relies on own strengths as Tangkak’s not his happy hunting ground

PETALING JAYA: Mohd Izam Ikmal of Petronas Sprinta Yamaha – CKJ Racing is all prepped to embrace the challenges awaiting in the CP125 category in Round 2 of the Malaysian Cub Prix Championship in Tangkak this weekend.

Since the beginning of his new journey with Petronas Sprinta Yamaha – CKJ Racing team last season, Izam’s performance has taken a leap. The rider ended last season in second spot overall. However, that wasn’t enough for Izam who at that time strived for the championship title.

Izam picked up from where he left off last season by showing excellent pace to bag the top spot on the podium in Round 1 of the championship at Sepang International Circuit last month.

With nine more rounds to go, it is still early to predict the direction of the rider who hails from Selangor.

But what is certain though is that Izam is not going to let go of the opportunity to fight for the championship title.

“In my opinion, the Tangkak circuit does not bring me any luck and my best results there has been on the fifth spot last year,” said Izam, who added his focus is on building his mental strength.

“The challenge this time around would be my physical capacity and strength whereby I think I am behind par compared to the other riders.

“There are a few riders who have their own strengths on the circuit ground and I definitely have to work harder to compete competitively with them.

“The rest are pretty much the same. For me, the interesting thing about the circuit is the uphill corner, which is quite challenging. That is also one that makes the race ground unique in that sense.

“For Round 2, I will try to maintain a consistent pace throughout the race because that is the most important thing to compete on par with the other riders.”